Mike Weir "post S&T" Golf Digest article

[walk18]

So I just got the latest GD and there's an article on Mike Weir and it explains that he is trying to get back to his old form because with S&T; he felt "he wasn't rotating his hips like he used to, and that was a big power draw move for him". It also mentions in the sequence page how his club was and is still coming a little too much inside. Seems to me that S&T; isn't what's causing that, and it could be fixed without reverting back to his old swing. As for the hip rotation, I'm lost on that. Doesn't S&T; promote a draw to begin with? I know there are some experts here that could chime in. The overall article left me a little confused..

Obviously when he won the masters he was doing something right and he's trying to get back to that, so in that regard I can't blame him.

[canadianpro]

Acording to some "inside info" I was told that Mike was trying to incorporate parts of the S&T; model into his swing but didn't want to fully commit to it. This I'm told created a problem with Andy so they decided to part ways. In my opinion, Mike's "trouble shot" that appeared in his early days was a hook - that is why he developed the takeaway "pause" while looking at the clubhead...this accentuated the rotation of the clubhead in order that it was square or even open at waist-high. His misses in ther Bob Hope were hooks! As we know, all golfers try to "tweak their swing" looking for the feel that comes and goes. I must commend Mike as he has worked extremely hard on his game and in the early days, his distance off the tee was way below the norm and many felt he just didn't have enough length to make it (including me). I am fortunate to have known him as a junior and he worked in my bag room as a high school stident during "co-op" days. Always a polite guy and he hasn't changed....we are all waiting for him to be back in the winners' circle again.

[uttexas]

read the same thing and it doesn't all add up if you look at his stats.
Not sure exactly when MW started and ended s&t;, but it is safe to say he was s&t; in 2008 and not in 2005. So, lets look at those stats
2008 driving avg 284.8 % fairway hit 62.46% gir 64.62% scoring avg 70.14
2005 281.3 63.70% gir 62.00% 71.17

[iacas]

read the same thing and it doesn't all add up if you look at his stats.

Yeah, I'd always understood Mike to have gained distance with S&T.;

[david_wedzik]

So I just got the latest GD and there's an article on Mike Weir and it explains that he is trying to get back to his old form because with S&T; he felt "he wasn't rotating his hips like he used to, and that was a big power draw move for him". It also mentions in the sequence page how his club was and is still coming a little too much inside. Seems to me that S&T; isn't what's causing that, and it could be fixed without reverting back to his old swing. As for the hip rotation, I'm lost on that. Doesn't S&T; promote a draw to begin with? I know there are some experts here that could chime in. The overall article left me a little confused..

I'm glad the article left you confused. It should have if you consider the facts. That's what makes the article frustrating. Of course I understand that Mike Weir has a right and obligation to work with which ever teacher he believes in most. My issue is that, in this case, the instruction part is represented in a way that makes it look as if somehow Andy and Mike were working on the wrong things in the wrong way and moving his game in the wrong direction. Nothing is further from the truth. I'm not even going to try and go into everything but here are the two most important points:

1) One of Weir's couple issues was the club HEAD getting too far behind his hands early in the swing (not the hands being too deep or in). His hands needed to actually move in more without so much turning of the joints in the wrists and forearms. This is something he spent a lot of time on with Mike and Andy (I have a number of comparison photos in my binder showing this work). This improved over time and along with other improvements his play got MUCH better. It is definitely ironic that now he is saying that his club is working too much inside since everyone KNEW that. The difference is that the work he is doing now is trying to get at the problem without getting the hands on their proper plane. This can only prove disruptive. 2) Weir was LOST for a couple years before working with Mike and Andy - as mentioned above by uttexas his stats got much better - this is a "grass is always greener" thing for sure and it makes no sense in this case since he went from lost to found and won a couple times during the Stack and Tilt stretch. This doesn't even consider the fact (also mentioned above) that he didn't do all Andy and Mike were asking and I am certain the results would have been better if that would have been the case. Bottom line...tour pros move around and look for that next thing that will work for a while...in this case Weir may have been best served to look at the stats and earnings and stay on the path he was on. Time will tell some of this but we no one will ever know for sure. Dave

[jamo]

2) Weir was LOST for a couple years before working with Mike and Andy - as mentioned above by uttexas his stats got much better - this is a "grass is always greener" thing for sure and it makes no sense in this case since he went from lost to found and won a couple times during the Stack and Tilt stretch.

I agree completely with what you are saying, but the only stat that showed a huge improvement was scoring. I know that is the most important stat, and once again i do agree with you, but distance was only up 3 yards, driving accuracy was down, and gir was only up 3%. So i agree with you, but i don't his stats got "much better." I guess thats a little bit of nit picking...

[david_wedzik]

I agree completely with what you are saying, but the only stat that showed a huge improvement was scoring. I know that is the most important stat, and once again i do agree with you, but distance was only up 3 yards, driving accuracy was down, and gir was only up 3%. So i agree with you, but i don't his stats got "much better." I guess thats a little bit of nit picking...

Good point...either way not MUCH better...I agree with that and that was a mistake on my part.

Dave

[jamo]

Good point...either way not MUCH better...I agree with that and that was a mistake on my part.

But, his scoring still went down, so thats all that really matters...

[iacas]

But, his scoring still went down, so thats all that really matters...

A 3% increase in greens in regulation is important. I wonder, too, about his average proximity to the hole. I'd bet that dropped a little too, and if he dropped nearly a shot, that's HUGE on the PGA Tour.